Tagged "kefir"

Felicity Evans is the founder and driving force behind Imbibe Living, a health company born on the benefits of probiotics, specialising in water kefir.

Felicity is an entrepreneur and leader in the gut health movement in Australia, yet she is also a dedicated wife and mother, who does a wonderful job at balancing family and work life.

Edible Beauty chatted to this self-proclaimed alchemist, to find out more about her flourishing business, health and beauty philosophies and favourite ingredient.

What inspired you to start Imbibe living?

My daughters. I had a health crisis after the birth of my baby and I wasn’t living life to the full – I needed more energy to keep up with them and live as vibrantly as I knew I could.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired I started my research phase which introduced me to the importance of gut health for overall wellness, so I started to make as many gut healing drinks – called water kefir.

I was amazed at the results! My energy returned, my digestion was better, the bloating went away and I seriously felt incredible.

I started my kitchen trials, making this probiotic rich drink and perfecting it and before long a health food store invited me to range in store. And the rest has been trying to keep up with a growing family and business!

What are three of your favourite tips for detoxing on the inside and out?

Externally I love to dry brush before a shower to stimulate lymphatic flow and get the largest organ of the body – the skin – working to detox naturally and easily.

Activated Coconut Charcoal in the Imbibe “Be Daring” variety. The combination of living probiotics and activated coconut charcoal work to help heal the gut and remove toxins from the body leaving you looking and feeling your best.

I’m a total tea fanatic – if I could wear it like a dress I would! That’s why I love the Green Goddess Detox tea – I seriously do! Its full of detoxing and liver loving ingredients like St Mary’s Thistle, Schizandra, Dandelion and Nettle. Get into it! Plus it tastes amazing!!

Have you always been an entrepreneur? How has your journey brought you to where you are today?

Looking back, I can see I have always been an entrepreneur – I have dabbled in Mexican textiles and jewellery, performing arts classes and event management – but the creation of Imbibe fits smack bang into my core values of health and wellness and I’m loving the ride and learning so much every day.

The journey has been twisted with many ups and downs – and its on the days you are ready to get a “normal” job that is less demanding that you have to come back to your WHY and realise that I’m in it for the long haul, and to take one day at a time. It’s taught me patience and allowing things to unfold naturally.

What is your hero ingredient and why?

100% Beetroot. It’s a seriously undervalued little vegetable. Apart from the amazing colour and the crisp and fresh taste, it’s an incredible super food. I ferment a batch of beet kvass each week and devour it for it’s live and skin loving properties.

I also use a certified organic beetroot powder in the Imbibe Water Kefir range to add more nutrients, vitamins and phytonutrients to the elixir. It also adds a gorgeous natural sweetness.

When it comes to avoiding dry flaky winter skin and creating the dewy, lush and moisture-rich skin which we are all after, we have a tendency to think first to what we are putting on our skin and then in our bodies. I love providing the body with absolutely everything that it may need to give us a healthy glow and that includes the below liquid gems which are ultra-nourishing and hydrating in their own right.

So whilst it may be tempting to reach for a mug of hot chocolate or coffee, give these drinks a go and you will be glowing on the inside and out this winter.

Image Credit: @wunderworkshop

Saffron

If you had thought you had exhausted most of the skin boosting herbs and foods there were out there, you may be surprising to know that there is a super exotic skin-loving spice that is relatively undiscovered when it comes to the skin. Saffron is an exotic spice obtained from the flower “saffron crocus”. It is found in Europe and Asia and literally worth its weight in gold due to the sheer volume of flowers required to obtain one gram.

Saffron is a wonderful agent for boosting skin hydration and brightening the skin. It is rich in skin-loving vitamins including vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc and B vitamins which are all essential for healthy skin repair and renewal. What makes the spice incredibly potent is its unique profile of actives, the most important of them is a-crocin, a carotenoid compound, which gives the threads their characteristic golden-yellow colour. It also contains other carotenoids, including zea-xanthin, lycopene, a- and ß-carotenes which are powerful anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants which protect the skin from oxidative damage and aid in accelerating skin cell renewal.

On the Inside: Tea is one of the best ways to ingest saffron for its beauty benefits. The active compounds in the saffron threads are water soluble, and absorb straight into your bloodstream through your digestive system. Just add 4 to 6 strands of saffron to one cup of boiling water. Add some grated ginger (about 1 teaspoon) or cinnamon along with a pinch of stevia. Steep for 15 minutes to allow the threads to infuse and release their active compounds into the hot water.

On the Outside: Saffron will assist the skin in retaining moisture and also has skin lightening benefits which will help you achieve an ethereal glow. It is also antimicrobial so when applied topically will help to soothe acne-prone skin. To make a mask, add a few threads of saffron to a ¼ of a cup of milk. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and let the strands infuse overnight if possible. Apply this mixture to the skin with some cotton wool and leave it on for at least thirty minutes before rinsing off.

Kefir

You are likely to know about the benefits of fermented foods or the gut however you may not know that they also work wonderfully to rejuvenate the skin, boost collagen production and reduce inflammation.

The skin and gut axis are intimately connected which means that the microbes in our gut communicate with the bacteria that are living within the skin barrier. This means that our gut microbes have a role to play in the control of

Kefir specifically is rich in probiotics which improve gut flora and aid in the digestion of food and absorption of skin-friendly nutrients and minerals, which your body requires to create glowing and beautiful skin.

Studies have shown that acne, eczema and even psoriasis benefit from the consumption of probiotics.

On the Inside: Boost your gut friendly bacteria with a dose of kefir daily. You will notice your digestive system improves (any tendencies towards constipation will be alleviated) and your body’s detoxification processes will also get a kick start. This will allow your skin to benefit from the removal of excess toxins which can make their way to the skin barrier and the removal of excess hormones which can create hormonal skin conditions. You don’t need much kefir to provide you with skin and belly benefits. Start with 30 mls daily and build to 50 mls over the course of 2 to 3 weeks.

On the Outside: When applied topically fermented foods or probiotic rich foods have been shown to increase hydration by strengthening the fatty ceramide layer of the skin which assists in retaining moisture. They also assist in protecting the skin barrier against unfriendly bacteria, environmental toxins and free radicals which cause skin ageing.

Chamomile

Chamomile beats most herbs when it comes to its soothing properties. This liquid gold infusion has so many skin benefits from being anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing, anti-bacterial and skin healing. One of the reasons I love it is due to its ability to reduce skin redness and irritation including relieving eczema and to combat acne.

Chamomile’s healing properties come from its daisy-like flowers, which contain volatile oils (including bisabolol, bisabolol oxides A and B, and matricin) as well as flavonoids (particularly a compound called apigenin) and other therapeutic substances.

On the Inside: Chamomile tea is so easy to drink, whether it is as a cold drink or a hot pre-bedtime relaxant. Edible Beauty No. 3 Sleeping Beauty Tea has a wonderful dose of the herb in there.

Soup recipes can get a little boring after you have been through a few of the classic recipes. This soup is a twist on a standard carrot soup. It uses tea as a base, incorporates the beautiful saffron spice and provides a wonderful way to boost skin nutrient and minerals.

All of the ingredients in this recipe have something special to contribute to our pursuit of youthful, glowing skin. Tea provides flavonoids which scavenge free radicals. You can use any tea you wish however licorice, white tea, calendula and chamomile are my favourite herbs to boost skin hydration and vitality. Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene which the body converts to vitamin A, the anti-ageing vitamin which is essential for skin repair and renewal. Saffron has a unique antioxidant profile to fight ageing whilst the dollop of kefir on top of this soup ensures the gut and skin microbiome are kept happy!

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

For the Tea Stock

- 1 tablespoon of No. 4 Golden Glow Tea or 2 teaspoons licorice root

- 1 clove of cinnamon

- 3 to 4 strands of saffron

(Feel free to use any Tea for this – white tea, lemon grass and ginger make wonderful tea stock options)

To make tea stock, steep tea in one cup of boiling water for 20 minutes. Steep and strain.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place carrots, squash and garlic in a roasting pan with Himalayan salt and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. Massage a tablespoon of olive oil through the vegetables.

Place on middle rack and roast, stirring once or twice, for 20 minutes. Stir in ginger, making sure to coat carrots, and roast for another 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Carrots will turn a light golden brown, caramelized in spots, and be tender when you pierce them with the point of a sharp knife. Remove from oven. Let sit and cool slightly.

Place about two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle with Himalayan salt. Roast for about ten minutes or until brown.

Transfer to a high-powered blender along with tea and two cups of water. Blend on medium-high until super smooth.

Heat pureed soup over medium-low heat on stove top until barely simmering. Stir in lemon juice. Serve hot, each bowl topped with a dollop of kefir and a sprinkle of coriander.